That's Why I Like You
by unleashedd
Summary: Austin and Ally have a nice thing going. Having Ally as a best friend is the best thing he has ever known. But he wants more. His feelings for her continue to sky rocket by the minutes, but he can't ruin what they already have. Ally has shocking news for Austin, that might just change everything. MAJOR AUSLLY!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay so in case you were wondering this is a reprise of my previous story, "It's Ours/ Eternity". I edited it more, added a few things here and there, which hopefully made it better. I deleted the other one and I apologize for any people who were following it before. I was also hoping for a better response this time around. Anyways. Thanks for your continuous support. R&R.**

* * *

I roll over onto my side, using my arms and hand to hold my head up, and watch as she stares up into the stars. I smile, and so does she. Her hair gently flows onto the blanket and her chocolate brown eyes glisten and sparkle more than the stars above her. She knows I'm watching her, I can tell.

She brings her hand up and pushes the strand of hair that the breeze has gently blown on her face and she tucks it behind her ear. In the back ground, I can hear the quiet pounding of fireworks blasting across the lake.

"Look", she says, pointing up towards the sky. I follow her gaze. "A shooting star", she points out.

I smile at her.

"Are you sure it's not a firework", I question. She swats me in the arm and I chuckle.

"I'm sure."

"Are you going to make a wish?" I ask. She nods her head and closes her eyes, for what I assume is to make her wish.

"What did you wish for?" I question, trying hard to hide my eagerness to know what she wished for. She rolls onto her side and flashes a smile at me. A smile that would make any guy melt; it makes me melt.

"I can't tell you", she says, "It's a secret". She smiles as if she has a story to tell. I hide my disappointment.

"What did you wish for?" She asks raising an eye brow. I lean back and lay down facing the stars smiling. Now I have her attention.

"I don't need to wish for anything", I tell her, "I have everything I need right here."

"You're right", she says, "You have your guitar, a beautiful view, some food. What else does a guy need?" She lies back down too.

Clearly she didn't understand. She was completely oblivious to that fact that I just about told her she was the only thing I would ever need.

Behind our heads, we've placed a small radio. Ally smiles as her favourite song comes on the radio; In a Song by Hunter Hayes.

I stand up trying to go about this situation at a different angle. She watches me.

"Where are you going?" She asks. I give her a mischievous smile and offer my hand. She accepts reluctantly. I can tell she is unsure of herself. But she has no reason to be. I'll be here.

After she is standing, I step back, her eyes still watching me as if she is trying to figure out a difficult puzzle. I bow.

"Can I have this dance?" She smiles, blushing and places a hand up in front of her mouth. She is nervous, it's her tell. She tries to hide her face when she is nervous or scared.

"You know I can't dance", she looks away across the lake. I slowly walk closer to her and gently grab her hand. She looks down at my hand as a grab it. She is trying to figure something out. Her dress blows carefully in the light wind and the moon offers enough light to light up the whole city. It reflects off the lake beside us and shines onto our faces.

"Come on", I say, "The song is going to be finished soon." I smile at her and lean my head only slightly forward to get a better view of her facial expression. She finally loosens up and walks towards me.

She stands one foot in front of me, smiling and looking into my eyes as if they hold the key to the world. I grab her hand in one of mine and my other hand behind her back. She places her other hand on my back and looks back up at me.

I use my eyes to ask her if she is ready and she nods. We begin slowly swaying and dancing on the top of the hill. She watches our feet trying to find a rhythm. When she thinks she has it, she looks up at my with the biggest smile on her face.

I can't help but smile. My eyes fall down to her lips and my heart jumps to speeds it's never reached before. Our swift movements are reflected onto the surface of the water. I wish I knew what she was thinking, that way I could know if right now would be the best moment to kiss her. If it was up to me, I would be. But I want her to want me as much as I want her.

* * *

At school the next day, I was so excited to be seeing Ally. When I dropped her off at her house the night before she said she had fun spending the night with me. I told her I did too. I was about to ask her if she thought we could ever be more than friends when her dad came home and she had to leave.

I was in the locker room getting ready for football practice. I knew Ally was going to come and watch me practice so I was excited. Even though it was a little bit distracting. The smell of the locker room was strong, filling my nostrils with a reeking smell of sweat. I was eager to escape. When I am on the field I feel free, just like when I am with Ally.

I start walking down the hallway in the school that leads to the football field. I walk beside my teammates. They are all talking about weekend, but I am silent in thought, replaying the events of the previous night. I smile at the thought.

Someone tugs on my hand. I turn around smiling hoping it is Ally.

"Ally…" I say. I see the girl looking at me and right away I know this is not Ally. The girl smiles back at me, but there is disappointment in her eyes.

"Austin", she says.

"Oh, Hey Kira", I say. Hiding the disappointment I feel deep down.

"I didn't see you at my party last night, I missed you." She smiles lightly grabbing my arm and stroking her hand down it.

"Kira, I have practice", I say back, uninterested. I turn around and see Ally standing at the end of the hallway watching me. I flash her an 'I'm sorry' glance. I know she doesn't like Kira, frankly neither do I.

Even though Ally and I aren't dating, I feel bad knowing that if she was talking to another guy, it would make me jealous. Even if she doesn't feel that same way. I try to show her the hurt in my eyes. I want her to desperately know how I feel. But she doesn't see it.

She turns around and walks the other direction. I sigh. Kira is still walking beside me, holding a football and her pompoms in her hands. She is a cheer leader. She hands me the football when we reach the door.

"Good luck", she says smiling.

"Kira, it isn't a game".

"I know that silly", she swats my arm playfully.

"Ow", I say flatly turning around.

During practice, I am increasingly distracted, looking for Ally on the bleachers in her normal spot. She never shows up. Coach Brian notices my disappointment and distraction; he calls me off to the side.

"Moon!" He says. I run up to him. "You seem distracted tonight".

"I'm sorry coach, it's just that I have a lot on my plate right now", I tell him. He stares at me and sighs, understanding what I feel.

"Why don't you call it quits for tonight, go rest up."

"Thanks coach," I say gratefully.

"Well", he says, "I can't have my star player distracted, go on, get out of here." He pats my back and I run off the field.

I walk down the hallway of the school approaching the locker room. I continually wonder why Ally doesn't see me as more than her best friend. I begin to hear quiet classical music playing down the hallway; it makes me smile because I know who is playing. I recognize the gentle pressing of the piano keys anywhere.

I linger outside the music room door where I listen to her playing without her knowing. When she finishes I am about to walk inside the room, when I hear voices.

"That was beautiful dear…", the women tells her. She smiles. I take the opportunity to walk in now. I begin clapping to direct her attention toward me. I smile at her as she turns her head. Her innocent expression tells me she didn't think anyone was listening. She smiles and looks down embarrassed.

"That was beautiful Miss Dawson", I tell her in a formal voice. She is still sitting on the piano bench and places her hands on her lap. I walk up to her placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I am serious". I tell her reassuring her.

"Thank you", she says looking into my eyes. I sigh, the longing to be next to her returns. I walk around the bench and sit next to her, still in my football equipment. The women who was in here before has left.

The room is empty except for us. I play a chord on the piano. She leans into my arm and I can feel the warmth between us. It is electrifying. My heart aches, I want to be beside her forever.

We sit there in silence for a few moments. But it isn't awkward, it is refreshing. After a while I turn my head and look at her. She does the same to me. I frown.

"Why didn't you come to my practice?" I ask, finally satisfying my curiosity. She looks down feeling guilty.

"I-I-I needed to stop and think", she finally says. I consider this.

"is this about earlier with Kira?" I ask.

"No. No that's not it." I was hoping to get more out of her than that. That is when I finally notice the pain in her eyes. I turn so my body faces her, and I look deep into her eyes.

"What's wrong", I ask. Unsure if I really want to hear the answer, knowing her pain will cause my pain. Her eyes begin to glisten the same why they did the night before, but now because a tear appears in her eyes.

"After you dropped me off last night", she begins, "my dad came home. He had just come home from the doctor's office. I told you my mom hadn't been feeling well lately, right?" I nod. "She has a brain tumor" She finishes and a tear escapes her eye.

I now notice the small bags under her eyes. She didn't sleep last night. This news kept her up all night. I embrace her into a hug and I hold her tightly against my chest. She whimpers against me. I breathe in the smell of her. And close my eyes. It pains me to see her this way.

When she is tired of crying she sits up. Her eyes are a bit red from crying, but I don't say anything. I let her have the first word. She sits facing the piano again, and sighs, she looks up as if she is holding in tears.

"Mom told me everything is going to be okay", she says eventually. I put an arm around her and she leans her head on my shoulder. I smile weakly.

"Come on", I say standing up. "It's time to go home. I need to get changed too. And I am bringing you with me." She finally flashes a meaningful smile. She stands up too and grabs her books. We walk down the hall together to the locker room.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: I Need Your Love_

In the locker room she sits on the bench across from me as I get changed. It doesn't really feel weird to me changing in front of Ally, but I can tell she is a bit uncomfortable.

"I really liked the song you were playing earlier", I say breaking the silence.

"Thanks", she says, "I wrote it myself. There aren't any words though. It is just an instrumental piece." I smile, proud of what she wrote, she does too.

"It was beautiful", I say.

"My mom wanted me to write something like that, I'm glad I did", she explains, "Someday when it is perfected and I am ready she'll hear it."

"She will love it," I say as I take my practice shirt off and set it on the bench. Ally watches me. I turn around and face the wall, but I can tell she is still staring. As I turn around and flip my new shirt over top of my head, I watch as Ally looks away from me smiling. I wonder what she was thinking.

When I finish, I put everything in my bag and put it over top of my shoulder. I stop in front of Ally and take a risk by grabbing her hand. She lets me and we walk out of the school together holding hands towards my truck.

We sit in the truck; she puts her feet up on the dash board like she owns it. Then she leans over and changes the radio station. I don't mind, when she is comfortable, I am comfortable. It puts her at ease.

She rolls down the window, and I glance quickly as her hair is blown gently in the wind.

"Tonight is Pasta night at my house", I begin, "You should come." I watch her as she considers this. We are sitting at red light.

"That sounds really good", she says, "Your parents won't mind?"

"Of course not!" I tell her, "They love you." She smiles.

An idea comes to mind, I decide to take advantage of this situation, and make a left turn at the next intersection. She looks at me like I have two heads. I smirk.

"Where are we going?" She asks. I smile at her, creating a mystery. She hates this, she always like to know what is going on. But I am living in the moment and trying something new. It is adrenaline. That is what I am running off of right now. It's the only thing keeping me going.

My heart beats a thousand beats per second. She turns up the volume of the music and starts singing along. The moment feels perfect, I smile listening to her voice.

I make a right at the next stop sign turning onto a dirt road. Ally is alert and watching closely as we drive onto uncharted territory. The road leads to a small pond and dock. There is a little boat drifted onto the shore, exactly where I left it over a year ago.

I park the truck and turn it off, Ally waits in the truck unsure of what to make of the situation. I smile and walk around the truck to open her door. She turns to me with her lips slightly parted and turns her head slightly. She arches an eye brown and questions what we are doing here.

"Don't you trust me?" I ask her, smiling. She looks down smiling and I offer my hand. She accepts and hops down out of the truck. I guide her off towards the dock. She sits down and slips her sandals off. She places her feet cautiously into the water. I do the same and sit next to her. She rests her hand on top of mine, sending butterflies throughout my body, I smile at her.

"This place is like a movie scene", she tells me, "it's beautiful." She turns her head towards me. "Thanks for showing me this place." I smile at her, happy that she likes it. I want to tell her it is as beautiful as she is. But I can't, I am afraid. I take her hand that she has placed on top of mine and place it on top of my lap without realizing what I've done. She still faces the water, swirling her feet in the water making a swift pattern.

Without removing her glance she asks me: "Have you ever just felt something, and known it was right?" I hope she is talking about my feelings toward her. She looks down, almost looking embarrassed by the question she asked. I tuck the loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looks up at me, and I smile.

"Yes", I say simply. She smiles. She leans into my arm and loops an arm around mine. How does she do this? I wonder. How does she manage to drive me completely crazy without realizing it? It's amazing. I want her to lean further and press her soft lips against mine. I want to stay like that for hours. But I can't tell her that… Not now. I guess I'll take what I can get.

I stand up and she releases her arm. She watches as I walk away from the dock and walk around the pond toward the small boat.

It lies underneath the apple tree. In full blossom I reach and grab to crisp red apples from the tree and then begin to push the boat away from the shore. I get inside and begin to paddle away from the shore and towards Ally.

Ally is no longer sitting on the dock; I look around trying to find her. Then I notice she is walking back from the truck with something in her hand; a camera. It is her favorite camera, the one that prints the pictures immediately after you take them.

She walks onto the dock and sits down where she was before. She puts the camera up to her eye and snaps a still of me in the boat. I smile. This is something I want to remember for the rest of my life.

I gently paddle the boat towards her and steer it carefully in the right direction. She smiles at me.

"Come on", I tell her motioning towards the boat. She has a nervous smile on her face. She passes me the camera. I quickly take a picture of her without her noticing.

I offer my hand once again and she stands up accepting the hand. I watch her as she carefully manages to catch her balance inside the boat. She sits down carefully and we face each other. She smiles at me.

I smile back and almost lose my balance and flip the boat. But we regain our balance. She laughs. I laugh too. I could never get enough of hearing her laugh. I'd spend the rest of my life trying to make her laugh like that if she would let me.

My dad once told me that to get her to love me I had to make her laugh. But every time she laughs I'm the one who falls in love with her all over again.

The sun is still high in the sky and I watch as Ally leans back and absorbs the sun into her skin as if it is her energy source. We spin around slowly in the centre of the pond.

"Hey", I say breaking the silence, "remember how earlier you asked me if I've ever just felt something, and know it was right?" She opens her eyes and looks at me, then nods. I take a deep breath.

"This… This right here, being next to you. It feels right. And I want to spend the rest of my life knowing that this is right." She smiles. Showing me a smile I've never seen before.

"That sounds like a pretty good deal to me", she offers. Before I know it, thunder pounds against the once blue sky. We both look up and see the dark clouds above us. The rain pours down on us all at once. Ally lets out a short scream and I laugh. She laughs after that.

"Get us out of here!" She shouts. She tries to cover her head with her hands, but gives up after she realizes that it isn't working.

I paddle quickly to the edge and help her out of the boat. Together we run to the truck to gain the shelter we need.

We both slam our doors shut and sigh loudly. Then we both burst out laughing. I turn to her.

"That was an interesting turn of events", I tell her. She laughs.

"It sure was", she says back.

I start the car and turn up the heater, I am freezing cold and I can see the goose bumps forming on Ally's arms. Her wet hair clings to her face and neck, forming a beautiful angelic picture in front of me.

She stares at me, as if trying to figure something out, and then all at once she looks pained.

"Why haven't you ever kissed me?" She blurts. This surprises me. "I mean, it's not like you haven't had your chances… These past two days have been so incredible. I feel like we just went on two different dates. But you still haven't asked me out or even kissed me. Am I doing something wrong?" I am speechless; I did not see this coming.

"I.. umm- I", I try to get words out. She looks at me for an answer. But she surprised me.

I try again, "I wanted to", I say, "I wanted to so bad. Like nothing I've ever wanted before."

"What stopped you?" She asks. I give her an 'I'm sorry glance'.

"What's stopping you _now_?" She says with her eyes full of pain.

I slide across the truck seat to get closer to her. I put a hand on the back of her head. I lean in to kiss her. She kisses me back. Our faces are still wet from the rain. The rain makes her face shine and glow. It is better than I ever imagined. I've waited for this for ages. She puts one of her hands on my upper leg and the other on my jaw line. She pulls away eventually, smiling.

"Was that so hard?" she teases.

"We should have come here ages ago", I say nearly out of breath. She laughs lightly.

I pull her back in, never wanting this dream to end. She smiles and I smile back. We are so comfortable with each other. I pull away thinking my parents are probably expecting me home.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for that", I tell her. She smiles and gives me one more quick kiss.

"It was worth the wait", I tell her again. She turns and faces the front smiling.

"I'm freezing, can we go home?"


	3. Chapter 3

Previously on TWILY (That's Why I Like You)

* * *

"Why haven't you ever kissed me?" She blurts. This surprises me. "I mean, it's not like you haven't had your chances… These past two days have been so incredible. I feel like we just went on two different dates. But you still haven't asked me out or even kissed me. Am I doing something wrong?" I am speechless; I did not see this coming.

"I.. umm- I", I try to get words out. She looks at me for an answer. But she surprised me.

I try again, "I wanted to", I say, "I wanted to so bad. Like nothing I've ever wanted before."

"What stopped you?" She asks. I give her an 'I'm sorry glance'.

"What's stopping you _now_?" She says with her eyes full of pain.

I slide across the truck seat to get closer to her. I put a hand on the back of her head. I lean in to kiss her. She kisses me back. Our faces are still wet from the rain. The rain makes her face shine and glow. It is better than I ever imagined. I've waited for this for ages. She puts one of her hands on my upper leg and the other on my jaw line. She pulls away eventually, smiling.

"Was that so hard?" she teases.

"We should have come here ages ago", I say nearly out of breath. She laughs lightly.

I pull her back in, never wanting this dream to end. She smiles and I smile back. We are so comfortable with each other. I pull away thinking my parents are probably expecting me home.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for that", I tell her. She smiles and gives me one more quick kiss.

"It was worth the wait", I tell her again. She turns and faces the front smiling.

"I'm freezing, can we go home?"

* * *

On the drive to my house I never let go of her hand. We both smile endlessly; it feels like a beautiful dream. I pull into my drive way and the dining room light is on, my parents are in the kitchen. My mom looks out the kitchen window and sees us arrive home. She waves. I wave back.

I watch as Isabelle my little sister runs into the kitchen with a bear in her hands. Dad picks her up and they both look out the window to see me. They wave. Isabelle's smile is enchanting; it brings a smile to my face. Ally smiles too. They don't notice Ally sitting next to me.

"She is adorable", she tells me. I smile. The rain has slowed down. I open my door and grab my football equipment from the back; Ally hops out too with her things. Together we walk to the door; I put my arm gently around her and open the front door.

We eventually get into the kitchen, where my parents are waiting. I walk in first and Ally follows. My mom notices Ally right away and smiles.

"Ally!" She says. She really likes her. I smile at them. "Will you be joining us for supper tonight?" she asks. Ally looks at me and I smile back.

"If that's okay with you."

"Of course it's okay with me. Hun, you are welcome here any day", she tells her.

Isabelle runs in and she drags Ally into the dining room where they begin to talk about dolls. Isabelle adores Ally. I take this opportunity to talk to my parents.

"Mom, Dad…" I begin. They look up at me. I give them a concerned look.

"Is there something wrong?" My dad asks.

"Actually… yes there is", I tell him. They sit down at the bar stools and I stand across the counter from them.

"Ally's mom is in the hospital". I tell them. My mom gasps.

"What happened!" she demands.

"She has a brain tumor." My dad brings his hand up to his forehead.

"How is Ally?" My mom asks. I tell her that she hasn't been doing very well. When I'm finished telling them, I join Ally and Isabelle in the dining room. I stand at the doorway watching as Ally brushes the hair of one of Isabelle's dolls. She smiles as she talks to Isabelle. Her hair has begun to dry and she has put her hair up in a ponytail.

"Isabelle", I say, she looks up. "Are you tormenting Ally?" She shakes her head.

"No I am not", she declares. Ally smiles at me and then looks at Isabelle.

"I think Austin wants to brush Suzie's hair", she tells her. Isabelle looks for the doll and a brush and walks up to me passing me the items. I follow her and sit down next to Ally.

"You will pay for this" I joke.

"I'm sure I will", she teases back. She knows me so well. I would never do anything to hurt her.

During supper I sit next to Ally again. We all joke around together and share stories of memories we've had together with my family. My parents laugh and so does Ally, they all seem very happy. I know I am. I have the love of my life brushing legs with me.

Mom and dad know how I feel about Ally and they smile as we joke around together. They don't know that we are practically together now, but I'll tell them when I am 100% sure. After supper is finished the phone rings. We are all still sitting around the table when it rings.

Mom stands up to take the call. When she returns she announces that the call is for Ally. Ally retreats from the room and follows my mom to the phone. She spends five minutes alone before returning. She doesn't say anything at first. When my parents finally leave to clean up I ask her.

"My parents are spending the night at the hospital. They are doing an operation on my mom. My dad said that because she has gone so long without treatment, they need to operate right away. I guess it is a risky operation, but we don't really have any choice", she tells me. I feel bad for her.

"Do you want to spend the night?" I offer.

"Your mom already offered when she was talking to my dad, but thanks." She smiles. I am so grateful that my parents get along with Ally so well.

"Do you want to go back to your house and get some of your things?" I ask her. She nods. I want her to feel totally comfortable while she is here. I want her to feel like this is her home away from home. I want her to want me as much as I want her.

* * *

When we get to her house she walks in and begins to grab her belongings. I'm not entirely sure how many days she is staying, it may only be one, but it doesn't matter to me. After a minute of sitting in the truck, I leave and follow her into the house. I assume she is inside her room, so that is where I go.

When I get to the door of her room it is shut, I am about to knock on the door when I hear a faint whimpering. I open the door and see her sitting on the side of her bed holding a picture frame. She doesn't even bother looking up, although she does wipe a stray tear with the side of her hand. I walk up to her and sit down next to her. I put an arm around her and she leans into it.

I notice the picture she is holding is of her mother. Ally is standing beside her in the picture and they are both smiling. They look very happy. Finally she stands back up and begins packing again.

I lean back and lay on top of her bed while she does this. I breathe in the smell of her room. I remember all the sleep overs we had and enjoyed in her room when we were younger. I smile at the thought.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks. I smile.

"I am remembering all the good times we had in here when we were younger", I tell her. She comes up to the other side of the bed and collapses down so our bodies are parallel to each other. She turns her head and looks at me.

"What about all the good times in our future", she smiles. I turn my head and look at her into her eyes. Which are upside down at the moment. Our faces are inches away from each other.

I smile and we both start leaning forward. Our lips gently press against each other's, sending off a warm vibe to every part of my body. I move my hand so that it presses lightly against her cheek. I smile at the thought that I could have this every day for the rest of my life. She starts laughing and pulls away.

"What!" I ask slightly offended. She calms down.

"I was just thinking about what we would do in here when we were little and how now we are kissing on my bed."

"What's wrong with that?" I tease, sitting up.

"Oh no problem there", she assures me, "I just think it is amusing." She stands up with a bag in her hands. I ask her if she is ready to go, and she tells her she is.

* * *

The next day Ally wanted to visit her mother at the hospital, they hadn't heard any news about her operation since her father called the night before. Since I knew this would be hard on her, I decided to bring her myself after school.

The drive there was quiet; the music's volume was low, leaving us each to our thoughts. Eventually she breaks the silence.

"So we've kissed a few times now", she begins, "What does that make us?"

A smile creeps up on my face and a quickly glance at Ally. She's smiling back at me.

"What do you want us to be?" I ask her. She smiles widely at me and says,

"As long as I have you next to me, we could be anything."

"So is it safe to call you my girlfriend now?" I ask her hopeful. I have on hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the window sill. The window is open and the refreshing breeze is blowing in. She leans closer to me and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. She pulls away.

"Absolutely", she finally says. A flash her a smile with my lips slightly parted. She brings her hand up to her mouth as if she is about to bite her nails. I finally feel like I can do anything. "Just keep your eyes on the road", she points out.

We arrived at the hospital and she hoped out of the truck right away, I rushed after her, and brushed my hand against hers. She smiles and starts to fold her fingers into mine. I follow her lead, and we hold hands walking down the hall. We reach reception at the hospital. The receptionist looks up at me.

"We are looking for Penny Dawson", I tell her. She replies telling us she is in room 465. We approach the room still hand in hand. Ally's father is sleeping on the chair outside the room when we get there. I stand back a bit and she touches her dads shoulder waking him up.

His groggy eyes tell me he hasn't slept much. His eyes flutter open and he sees Ally and a smile forms on his face. Ally forces a smile. I feel like they are silently communicating, giving each other strength. His eyes quickly stop on me and tell me that he needs some time alone with Ally. I leave and walk to the cafeteria. I buy some coffee. One for me and another for Ally.

I think about how strong and brave Ally is, and I realize that it is only one of the many reasons why I like her; why I love her.

I sit down for five minutes before making my way slowly back to Ally and her father.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys, I am awfully sorry it has taken so long for me to update. Things have been crazy lately, and I have been extremely busy. Thanks for your patience.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Ch. 4

* * *

Ally is sitting alone in the hallway when I return. She has her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She hears me walking up to her and looks up.

I set down the coffee on a table and she stands up. She runs to my arms and hugs me tightly. I hug her back, stand in the hallway like that for what feels like forever, holding her tightly as we forget the rest of the world.

It pains me to watch her suffer, she doesn't deserve this.

Eventually she lets go and we sit down next to each other in the hallway.

I watch her the entire time. She doesn't show much emotion. I pass her the coffee and she looks up at me forcing another smiles. I do the same to her, knowing that she is in pain. I wait for her to tell me what is going on.

A tear slips down her cheek as she lifts up the coffee towards her mouth. She sets it back down and I grab her hand and hold it with both of mine.

"The doctor's don't think she is going to make it", she tells me, "The surgery didn't do anything for her and there isn't any available treatment." Another tear rolls down her cheek. "Why do bad things always happen to me!" she nearly shouts.

I hold her tightly again with one arm around me. She practically breaks down crying. I put one of my hands behind her head holding it into my chest.

I whisper soothing sounds into her ears and brace myself for what the next few days might have in store. Eventually she pulls away and looks at me. I must look pretty distant.

I realize now that my fists are clenched, and she must notice because her attention is quickly directed to my fists for a second.

"Austin?" she asks cautiously.

I give her a small smile and release the grip on my fists. I relax a bit, she doesn't need to see me upset, I am supposed to be the strong one.

"Sorry, I just hate to see you upset Ace", I tell her. A tiny smile tugs at the ends of her lips, before disappearing altogether.

"They want me to go in there and say my final goodbyes! I can't do that. I've never been good at goodbyes." We hold each other until the doctor comes out and tells us it is time. He tells us it wouldn't be fair to her if they kept her of life support.

Ally understands this but doesn't want to let go. I hold on to her for the next 2 hours. Since her mother was too weak to wake up she is stuck in an in-between phase called a coma. So Ally and her father can still talk to her. There are still a few times when Ally manages a laugh because she is talking about a memory. I have honestly never seen someone cry so much in such a short amount of time.

She and her father spend final quality time, but it's hard knowing that this will be their last conversation ever. Ally and I tell her mother we are dating and also mention the song she was working on for her mother.

I am about to leave the hospital room, to let them bid one final goodbye, when I notice a few envelopes sitting on the table next to a large vase of flowers.

One of them has my name on it.

_Austin,_

_Hi sweetheart. If you are reading this, well then it must be my time to go. You should know that I rewrote this letter multiple times before actually getting it just right. Things are going to be awfully difficult for the next few days. But I need you to stay strong for my dear Ally. I know she is hurting and I need you to be patient with her. I need to you keep her together._

I notice a small stain on the paper, which I assume is a tear stain.

_Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at her. Yes that's right, I know you love her more than you would admit. And dear, she feels the same way, so don't be a fool. I always knew you and Ally would end up together. Right now, I can imagine that you are in a bit of shock. Well sweetheart, it was pretty obvious, you didn't do a very good job keeping it a secret. _

_I don't know the easiest way to tell you this, or in fact anyone. But I figured if I am going to tell anyone it should be you. When the time is right, you can tell Ally. But someone needs to know the truth…_

_8 months ago I went to the doctor for my annual check up._

My throat tightens, I have a pretty good idea where this is going.

_So after the check up the doctor told me I was showing all the symptoms of Phase 3 Brain Cancer. He told me what my options were, most of which included intense treatment, he also said results would vary. So I thought about it for a few days, I knew I didn't want to be suffering for the rest of my life and that time was running out. Thus, I kept things a secret. You see, I didn't want anyone treating me any different. _

_So, now that you are reading this, It means nature has taken it's course, and so have I. I figured someone HAD to know the truth. I chose you. I also left something to you in my will, I hope you like it. _

_And I have one last favour to ask of you. (Sorry for the inconvenience) Anyways, I need you to help Ally move on. Things are going to go from bad to worse in a very short amount of time, but there is a light at the end of this tunnel. It's you. Remember that. And please don't give up on her. _

_She is going to need you now more than ever. _

_With love, Always, xoxo_

_Penny_

By now Ally and her father are completely distracted, and I have shed multiple tears. I tuck the envelope inside my jacket, hidden from the rest of the world. I collapse into the chair next to the table from exhaustion. I run my hands through my hair by instinct.

And then it all occurs to me.

It all makes sense now; why her mother quit her job 8 months ago, why Ally's family was always going so many things together like going to day trips, it was all planned. Ally's mother knew she was going to die. But she didn't want her family to suffer from everything she was going through. She just wanted to live a normal life for as long as she could.

If Ally had known, this would have changed everything that has ever happened in the last year. Everything would have been different. Who would have even known the life we could have been living now if the tables were turned.

So, when Ally is ready to know the truth, I will tell her. No matter how much the truth hurts, I will tell her. I can't believe that Penny would do this to me; make me carry such a heavy responsibility for her own actions. It is almost cruel in a way, almost.


End file.
